Have you ever wondered what some carny slang words mean? Like other organizations, carnivals have a jargon all their own.

Definition of Terms

Before we get into carny slang, let's define "carny" and "carnival". A "carny" is a slang term in North America for a person who is employed by a carnival. Carnivals, as we are referring to them, are outdoor games, booths, rides, shows, and concessions. They travel from town to town, setting up on parking lots or grassy areas.

Carny Slang

Here are some words that all refer to the same thing associated with a carnival:

Terms for Cheating the Boss

Going South - Stealing money, called "south" because some of the money goes into the apron worn by the carnival worker

Oach - To skim some money from your take and not give them to the boss

Swing - To steal money from your boss

Words for Players

Two words for visitors to the carnival are cake eaters and locals.

Mark - A townsperson you pick out as a victim

Other terms for naive and gullible marks are called Chump, Mooch, Clem, Emby

Lugen - A really dumb mark

Lot Lice - Locals who arrive early, walk around, and leave late without spending any money

Terms for Merchandise

Slum - Very cheap prizes that are bought in bulk, sometimes for as little as $1 a gross; also called hooch

Plaster - Cheap prizes made of plaster that seem to be worth more than they are

Paste - Cheap prizes. The term probably came from "paste" imitation jewelry.

Garbage - Cheap souvenirs sold on the midway

Other Slang at Carnivals

Here are other miscellaneous carny slang words:

86'd - To be banned from the lot

Agent - The person working a game

Al-A-Ga-Zam - Greeting among carnies

B.C. - Be cool; a warning to stop what you are doing or saying

Bally or Ballyhoo - The spiel of the outside talker to draw people into the show

Beef - A complaint from a player or policeman

Blow Your Pipes - When a carny is hoarse from yelling at marks

Blowoff - After a show, this is an offer of another attraction for an additional fee

BR - A big wad of cash rolled up to entice marks

Building a Tip - The job of the outside talker is to gather a crowd (tip)

Butcher - The person who walks around selling food and drinks

Cake Cutting - Short-changing someone

Carny Roll - This is a bank roll with one or two big bills rolled around a bunch of one dollar bills

Cool Out - When you convince a mark that you did not take his money

Cowboy - A trouble maker

Crack - A very effective phrase used by carnies to get marks to play

Crank, Cradle, or Strom - The handle or pedal that controls a rigged game

Dog House - This is a booth where the person sits who controls the ride

Donniker - Restroom

Ducat or ducket - A free pass or ticket

Dukkering - Gypsy fortunetelling

Gaff - The mechanism used to control or fake a game

Grifters - This term covers criminals who run crooked games, shoplift, or pick pockets

Grind - This is end of an outside talker's spiel that moves the crowd into the show

Heat - Any problems in the carnival between any people there

Joing - This means to fix a game so that no one can win

Joint - A concession

Juice - Bribes paid to local law enforcement

Keister - A portable case holding things to display and sell

Kick - Where a carny keeps his money

Nut - A show's operating expenses

Poke - Money belonging to a carny

Popper - A wagon with popcorn, candy apples, and other edibles to sell

Possum Belly - A box under a wagon for storage

Punk - A child

Racket - Any operation that uses deception

Reading the Midway - This is walking around with your head down, looking for money or valuables on the midway

Tip - The crowd gathered in front of a show who listens to the outside talker's bally